The NLV is one of the most popular residency options for non-EU citizens wanting to live in Spain, but how long does the application process take before you can move here (in theory and in practice)?
The non-lucrative visa, or NLV as it is often referred to, is an authorisation that allows non-EU foreigners to live in Spain without working or carrying out economic activities, by demonstrating that they have sufficient financial means for themselves and, if applicable, their families.
In Spanish it’s called a ‘visado de residencia no lucrativa‘ and is often referred to as a retirement visa, as this is the best option for retirees from non-EU countries who want to spend their golden years in Spain.
READ ALSO: What are the pros and cons of Spain’s non-lucrative visa?
You don’t need to wait until retirement age either. People of any age can apply for the visa, as long as they meet the requirements such as having the correct amount of savings or passive income, having private health insurance, and not working while they’re in Spain.
It may take a while to get proof of all of this and get all your documents together, but how long will it take for your application to be processed and receive a response to say if you’ve been successful or not?
When they apply, many people may have already given up or are about to give up their job back home or made plans to rent or sell their house. They are understandably anxious about how long the application will take, wanting to begin their new adventure in Spain as soon as possible.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about applying for Spain’s non-lucrative visa
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In theory it takes one month
According to article 48.4 of the Immigration Regulations, “the Government Delegation or Subdelegation must decide within a maximum period of 1 month from receipt of the request”.
This same law is echoed by several law firms in Spain when talking about the application time for non-lucrative visas, including Balcells Group in Barcelona, DEABOGA in Madrid and Sigma Seis Abogados in Valencia.
In reality, it can take longer
In reality, however, many applicants are finding that they’re having to wait a lot longer than one month in order to receive a response, with many people waiting an average of 6-8 weeks instead of just one month.
The amount of time you need to wait for your application to be processed seems to primarily depend on where you apply, as well as your individual circumstances.
READ ALSO – DNV or NLV: Which visa is easier to get in Spain?
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Waiting times for applying from the US
Waiting times from the US seem to vary on the consulate you apply from as some are quicker at processing than others.
For example, on the Facebook Group Spanish NLV, one member applying in New York posted that it was around 8 weeks from appointment to approval for their visa.
Another agreed, saying that their “status updated about week 8”.
Someone in the same group applying from the Miami BLS office, however, said that they had to wait 14+ weeks for an answer on their visa status.
Another also applying from Miami were officially told that waiting times “depends by consulate” and weren’t given a clear indication of how long it would take.
In Houston, one member of the group was told that applications from Jan to March 2026 were slow and that they should hopefully speed up in April onwards.
They were told they could expect a wait of between 3 and 4 months before they’d receive a response.
Others said it was an average of 8-12 weeks when applying through Houston.
Two others applying through the BLS office in San Francisco posted that it took them just 6 weeks to hear back.
As we said above, it seems to entirely depend on where you apply because some consulates are managing to process applications within the required time.
READ ALSO – S1: How Brits can avoid private health cover for Spain’s non-lucrative visa
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Waiting times for applying from the UK
Processing times for Brits seem to be similar or even slightly longer (at some consulates) than in the US currently.
For example, one person on Facebook Group Spanish NLV said they had to wait 12 to hear back about their applications at the Manchester office. There were also reports of waits between 16 and 22 weeks from the same office by several members.
Another said they applied Jan 15 from Manchester and only just received their visa on April 1st 2026.
In fact, Manchester is the most mentioned office in the UK on the FB groups with many complaining about the long wait times there.
Those applying through the London consulate had varying experiences, with some experiencing very short wait times and others much longer.
One said they heard back in just 3 weeks, while another had to wait 14 weeks. Other people reported seven weeks when applying from London to move to Granada and 11 weeks when applying from London to move to Valencia.
Edinburgh is a similar story with two people saying they waited just two weeks and another reporting three weeks. Not everyone was quite as lucky there though, with many waiting around seven weeks on average.
Our advice is to contact the consulate in your city or area of the country first to find out how long the processing might take, so you have an idea before you apply.
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Waiting to get an appointment is also causing a delay
It’s not just the processing time, which is making the whole NLV application take longer, it can sometimes can a long time just to get an appointment to go to the consulate in the first place.
Though it seems to be a lot faster than it was a few years ago, people are still having to wait a while.
The delay might be down to you
A delay, however, may not only be down to the staff at the consulate, it could also be down to you.
If you haven’t provided all the necessary documentation or sorted out everything you need to such as bank statements and proof of private medical insurance, then the consulate will need to come back to you, asking for more information and creating a setback.
It may also depend on the time of year you decide to apply for your NLV. If you apply in August for example, many staff may be on holiday. You may decide to apply in January because your New Year’s resolution is to live in Spain for a year, but if many others have decided to do this at the same time, the processing time will take longer.
The best solution is to contact your local Spanish consulate several months ahead of time and ask them when the best time of year is to apply and when they receive the least number of applications.
One reader pointed out that consulates are processing student visas throughout the summer, up until September, so those applying for the NLV, should try after that time instead.
